All About Cardamom Spice

There are three main commercial types of cardamom: Black, Green, and White. All are members of the ginger family.

Black Cardamom: Amomum subulatum & A. costatum
Family: Zingiberaceae
Black cardamom, is also known as hill cardamom, Bengal cardamom, greater cardamom, Nepal cardamom, winged cardamom, or brown cardamom.

- A member of the ginger family, black cardamom is a close relative of green cardamom.
- Black cardamom has a strong camphor-like flavour, with a smoky character derived from the method of drying.
- Not suited to sweet baked goods - better suited to savoury recipes like long slow braised meet dishes.
- Pop a whole pod in a rice cooker next time you make rice.
- The pods are often used in Vietnam when making phở.
- Plays a prominent role in North India Curries.
- Would be a great addition to a BBQ dry rub, it would bring a smokey something that you can’t quiet describe.
- Can be used whole, ground whole, or remove the pod and just grind the seeds.
- Great pairings would be basil, fennel, garlic, lemongrass.




Green / White Cardamom: Elettaria cardamomum (L.) or Amomum cardamomum L.
Family: Zingiberaceae
Origin: India

- Green pod with black seeds.
- Works well in savoury as well as sweet recipes.
- Great flavouring addition to coffee and tea, major component in Indian Masala Chai
- Major component of Garam Masala mix
- White cardamom is mostly seen in Scandinavian cooking.
- When first introduced to Scandinavia, (the story goes) cardamom had been on a lengthy sea voyage where exposure to sun, salt and air bleached the pods white and altered their flavour.
- Today bleaching green cardamom to white is a chemical process, that removes colour and the strongest menthol components, leaving a lighter sweeter fragrance.
- Can be used whole, ground whole, or remove the pod and just grind the seeds.
-10 pods roughly equals  1 1⁄2 tsp of ground cardamom.
- Store whole.
-Pairings: caraway, cinnamon, cumin, dill, juniper.


Both are ‘Warming’ spices